dacavalcante
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2006
- Posts
- 209
- Likes
- 11
Hi all, I'd like to present to you guys a little review of the LD MK II headphone amplifier.
Please, forgive me for some bad English here as I'm non native speaker.
Well, just a little about the hardware I already had or have, so you can understand my background.
I started with some cheap full sized phillips headphones, also used to build a lot sound projects to my car (I'm a bass head), then bought Senn HD-555, after that I made a tangent cmoy, bought audiophile 2496 sound card, then moved to ESI Julia, after that Zero DAC arrived.... swaped the 555 for senn HD-650, then some GD discrete opamp arrived ( 2 EARTH / 2 SUNs), then I did FrankenZERO upgrade developed by Pricklely Peete for ZeroDAC and now the LD MK II arrived.
Some were small steps, others bigger.
Now to the LD MK II Review
The Upgraded ZeroDAC is a very nice unit, but I knew the headamp was holding me back a lot, and I listened to this setup (julia -> zero -> zero amp -> senn 650) for about a year and a half.
[size=medium]Shipping Service / Packing / AMP Setup[/size]
So today the LD MK II arrived. It came very well secured inside the box, great shipping service here (as everything with David - littledot).
It's not a small unit, neither too big and has a very well finished black panting and metal volume knob. The blue led is pleasant, not too shiny.
The power supply seems to be a little bit loose, but according to David this is the way it is meant to be.
Inside the amp it's pretty clean, shiny soldering (the best I've ever saw), interconnects, cables, all seems to be treated with much love.
Mine came set for Gain 3, which was fine for some recordings, but too low for others, so I put it on 5 (switch 1 on and 2 off), and everything was good then.
[size=medium]Initial Impressions[/size]
Well, I decided to go strait to the throat and fired Patricia Braber - Companion album. This is a truly great recording, with lots of details.
Out of the box the MKII was much more detailed than zero amp, I mean, zero burn in and with stocks Valves (6n6 power and 6j1 for drivers).
Comparing zero and LD MK2 to a knife, zero sounds like your kitchen knife (and not the one you use to cook, but to eat), while LD MK2 sounds like a Rambo Knife: Sharper, faster.
One big step with this amp was dynamic range.... I mean, BIG! Low intensity sounds are really low, but high energy sounds are really loud.
When listening to horns they really go from low to scream (in a good way), with ease. Every peak is much more intense now.
Also zero seemed to rise the intensity on steps, like if you were walking on a stair, on the other hand LD MK II is very linear in the way it rises the music volume, more like a ramp.
The downside of this is that now more than ever I have to move the volume knob when changing between albums, but I can live with that.
Well, the BASS, isn't really that good right now, lack of punch and extension, it's more like zero amp but a little more extended. It's like the bass is going dead around 40hz. But justice be made, this unit doesn't even played 5 hours, valves are stock and new.
Sound stage, also didn't impressed me that much, I couldn't really make a image of it on my mind, but it's already improved in just a very few hours. From inexistent it gained depth, this was the first thing that appeared, now it's widening. Again, let's not judge it right now, because it's just too soon.
Wall reflections are just there, just like zerodac presents it.
Voices are a lot more realistic, with more body, a more refined timbre, some vocals that seemed to come from the same singer are now clear to come from two or more persons.
Tube Rolling
I got some Russian OTK 6N6P and 6N1P NOS power tubes ready to get in action, but still unused. This will be a natural evolution of this review.
I'll also order some 6Zh1P-EV tubes for drivers.
[size=medium]
Conclusion (to the moment)[/size]
LD MK II is a well worth buy, period, even out of the box.
As the very strong of it I would put its speed. It's a really fast amplifier and great things are presented on the music because of it. Also this amp really got muscles for playing high energy musics, not to mention the big dynamic range.
I can't judge any downside right now because it's too early, but I'm hopping both bass and soundstage improves over time.
[size=medium]
50 Hours Impressions[/size]
Well, around 20 hours I decided to set gain to 10 which made a considerable difference on senn 650, specially on highs, overall behave remained the same over time, in fact I though around 25 hours the quality went down a little and things got a lot confused, lacking focus, but around 40 hours everything started to change for good.
LD MKII has extended a lot more on highs and a little more on bass. Small details were also revealed, some that I've never heard before on Patricia Braber Companion, like some crowd talking for example, also their hand clapping is much more realistic now, with a "bone" quality present.
Sound stage is a little bit deeper and wider also. But still too much "in the face", which sometimes makes things sounds like being out of phase, without making possible to assert an instrument position.
Overall hearing experience is very pleasant at this time, I guess it's time for some OTK 6n6p and 6n1p power Russian NOS tubes get into action.
[size=medium]
100+ Hours Impressions[/size]
Now the LD MK II has more than 100 hours on it and I guess it's time to say burn in is complete.
Well, stock 6n6 tubes have around 50 hours on them and 55 hours for the 66's Rusian NOS 6n1p power tubes. Driver tubes remained stock.
I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the amplifier when using the 6n1p tubes and not so impressed (anymore), when on stock tubes.
This means one thing: driver stock tubes are not that all bad compared to stock power tubes, they really show more stuff when paired with the 6n1p tubes.
LD mkII now extends well on bass, I would live with it, but there's no real sub bass....
Highs are crisper and much more detailed, the overall detail that was already good got much better, some more things showed up on the recording, which was quite surprising.
Sound stage is also improved, but it's not something to give hats off, but it isn't bad also.
Tube rolling
I really recommend changing stock power tubes, these tubes sound compressed, less detailed, much less extended on bass, it's not even close to 6n1p NOS tubes on dynamics. Music just fells a lot more sterile and veiled with them.
Don't think twice, better, don't think at all, just replace them, with these cheap ( $3.00 each), russ NOS or some other better.
What's Next
Now it's time for the 6n6p 64's NOS russ tubes to burn in and them I'll make an AB between stock 6n6, NOS 6n1p and NOS 6n6p. FrankenZero DAC amp (GD earth/ 2xSUNs) will also join this next round.
- Latter it will be time to roll driver tubes, for some 6zh1p-ev and Sylvania 6ak5w.
[size=medium]Small list of tubes suggestions from members[/size]
Power Tubes
6H30Pi
6N1P
Driver Tubes
Russian 6zh1P
Tung-sol 403b
Sylvania black plate 6AK5W (or WB)
Mullard 8100
[size=medium]Something very Important[/size]
I'd like to stress out the Little Dot costumer service, David in particular. I have never been so well treated and replied as with him. Great, really great costumer service.
I'm not being paid, neither got for free my MK II, I paid just what everybody else pays. BUT good companies must be applauded for their love for the costumer.... on this price point, a fine treatment like that is just unusual.
[size=medium]PICS[/size]
Please, forgive me for some bad English here as I'm non native speaker.
Well, just a little about the hardware I already had or have, so you can understand my background.
I started with some cheap full sized phillips headphones, also used to build a lot sound projects to my car (I'm a bass head), then bought Senn HD-555, after that I made a tangent cmoy, bought audiophile 2496 sound card, then moved to ESI Julia, after that Zero DAC arrived.... swaped the 555 for senn HD-650, then some GD discrete opamp arrived ( 2 EARTH / 2 SUNs), then I did FrankenZERO upgrade developed by Pricklely Peete for ZeroDAC and now the LD MK II arrived.
Some were small steps, others bigger.
Now to the LD MK II Review
The Upgraded ZeroDAC is a very nice unit, but I knew the headamp was holding me back a lot, and I listened to this setup (julia -> zero -> zero amp -> senn 650) for about a year and a half.
[size=medium]Shipping Service / Packing / AMP Setup[/size]
So today the LD MK II arrived. It came very well secured inside the box, great shipping service here (as everything with David - littledot).
It's not a small unit, neither too big and has a very well finished black panting and metal volume knob. The blue led is pleasant, not too shiny.
The power supply seems to be a little bit loose, but according to David this is the way it is meant to be.
Inside the amp it's pretty clean, shiny soldering (the best I've ever saw), interconnects, cables, all seems to be treated with much love.
Mine came set for Gain 3, which was fine for some recordings, but too low for others, so I put it on 5 (switch 1 on and 2 off), and everything was good then.
[size=medium]Initial Impressions[/size]
Well, I decided to go strait to the throat and fired Patricia Braber - Companion album. This is a truly great recording, with lots of details.
Out of the box the MKII was much more detailed than zero amp, I mean, zero burn in and with stocks Valves (6n6 power and 6j1 for drivers).
Comparing zero and LD MK2 to a knife, zero sounds like your kitchen knife (and not the one you use to cook, but to eat), while LD MK2 sounds like a Rambo Knife: Sharper, faster.
One big step with this amp was dynamic range.... I mean, BIG! Low intensity sounds are really low, but high energy sounds are really loud.
When listening to horns they really go from low to scream (in a good way), with ease. Every peak is much more intense now.
Also zero seemed to rise the intensity on steps, like if you were walking on a stair, on the other hand LD MK II is very linear in the way it rises the music volume, more like a ramp.
The downside of this is that now more than ever I have to move the volume knob when changing between albums, but I can live with that.
Well, the BASS, isn't really that good right now, lack of punch and extension, it's more like zero amp but a little more extended. It's like the bass is going dead around 40hz. But justice be made, this unit doesn't even played 5 hours, valves are stock and new.
Sound stage, also didn't impressed me that much, I couldn't really make a image of it on my mind, but it's already improved in just a very few hours. From inexistent it gained depth, this was the first thing that appeared, now it's widening. Again, let's not judge it right now, because it's just too soon.
Wall reflections are just there, just like zerodac presents it.
Voices are a lot more realistic, with more body, a more refined timbre, some vocals that seemed to come from the same singer are now clear to come from two or more persons.
Tube Rolling
I got some Russian OTK 6N6P and 6N1P NOS power tubes ready to get in action, but still unused. This will be a natural evolution of this review.
I'll also order some 6Zh1P-EV tubes for drivers.
[size=medium]
Conclusion (to the moment)[/size]
LD MK II is a well worth buy, period, even out of the box.
As the very strong of it I would put its speed. It's a really fast amplifier and great things are presented on the music because of it. Also this amp really got muscles for playing high energy musics, not to mention the big dynamic range.
I can't judge any downside right now because it's too early, but I'm hopping both bass and soundstage improves over time.
[size=medium]
50 Hours Impressions[/size]
Well, around 20 hours I decided to set gain to 10 which made a considerable difference on senn 650, specially on highs, overall behave remained the same over time, in fact I though around 25 hours the quality went down a little and things got a lot confused, lacking focus, but around 40 hours everything started to change for good.
LD MKII has extended a lot more on highs and a little more on bass. Small details were also revealed, some that I've never heard before on Patricia Braber Companion, like some crowd talking for example, also their hand clapping is much more realistic now, with a "bone" quality present.
Sound stage is a little bit deeper and wider also. But still too much "in the face", which sometimes makes things sounds like being out of phase, without making possible to assert an instrument position.
Overall hearing experience is very pleasant at this time, I guess it's time for some OTK 6n6p and 6n1p power Russian NOS tubes get into action.
[size=medium]
100+ Hours Impressions[/size]
Now the LD MK II has more than 100 hours on it and I guess it's time to say burn in is complete.
Well, stock 6n6 tubes have around 50 hours on them and 55 hours for the 66's Rusian NOS 6n1p power tubes. Driver tubes remained stock.
I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the amplifier when using the 6n1p tubes and not so impressed (anymore), when on stock tubes.
This means one thing: driver stock tubes are not that all bad compared to stock power tubes, they really show more stuff when paired with the 6n1p tubes.
LD mkII now extends well on bass, I would live with it, but there's no real sub bass....
Highs are crisper and much more detailed, the overall detail that was already good got much better, some more things showed up on the recording, which was quite surprising.
Sound stage is also improved, but it's not something to give hats off, but it isn't bad also.
Tube rolling
I really recommend changing stock power tubes, these tubes sound compressed, less detailed, much less extended on bass, it's not even close to 6n1p NOS tubes on dynamics. Music just fells a lot more sterile and veiled with them.
Don't think twice, better, don't think at all, just replace them, with these cheap ( $3.00 each), russ NOS or some other better.
What's Next
Now it's time for the 6n6p 64's NOS russ tubes to burn in and them I'll make an AB between stock 6n6, NOS 6n1p and NOS 6n6p. FrankenZero DAC amp (GD earth/ 2xSUNs) will also join this next round.
- Latter it will be time to roll driver tubes, for some 6zh1p-ev and Sylvania 6ak5w.
[size=medium]Small list of tubes suggestions from members[/size]
Power Tubes
6H30Pi
6N1P
Driver Tubes
Russian 6zh1P
Tung-sol 403b
Sylvania black plate 6AK5W (or WB)
Mullard 8100
[size=medium]Something very Important[/size]
I'd like to stress out the Little Dot costumer service, David in particular. I have never been so well treated and replied as with him. Great, really great costumer service.
I'm not being paid, neither got for free my MK II, I paid just what everybody else pays. BUT good companies must be applauded for their love for the costumer.... on this price point, a fine treatment like that is just unusual.
[size=medium]PICS[/size]
